In recent times, communication networks, for example, Cellular Radio Access Networks have grown extensively. Electronic devices, for example, mobile phones, connected to a communication network, communicate with each other, for example, by sending and receiving packets. A packet includes, for example, a source address corresponding to the source of the packet in the communication network, and a destination address corresponding to the destination of the packet in the network.
A communication network can be vulnerable to problems, such as, IP address scanning, which can have adverse impacts on the communication network and its users. During IP address scanning, an electronic device may send multiple packets in the communication network to scan the addresses of other electronic devices. Packets being sent by electronic devices to scan the addresses of other electronic devices are known as offending packets. Once the address of an electronic device is verified by the process of IP address scanning, the electronic device can be accessed by various means for illicit purposes. As a result, the offending packets need to be blocked in the communication network.
During address scanning, there can be a sudden increase in the communication network traffic. This adversely affects the performance of the communication network, since a large number of offending packets need to be processed. Further, address scanning is a security breach for the electronic devices in the communication network.
There are various methods available for blocking an offending packet in the communication network. In one such method, a firewall identifies and blocks the offending packets. Conventional firewalls employ complex techniques; as a result, they require a large amount of processing power and time. Consequently, these firewalls cannot be used efficiently in an embedded environment, such as in a cellular network, where less processing power and processing time are available.
Elements in the Figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the Figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms “first”, “second”, and the like herein, if any, are used inter alia for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. Any of the preceding terms so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that various embodiments of the invention described herein may be capable of operation in other configurations and/or orientations than those explicitly illustrated or otherwise described.